Transferred
by troyalg
Summary: Jim transfers to Stamford. This is about a couple of his last days in Scranton.


**Disclaimer: I do not own The Office or the characters. I also do not own the Jello brand, I do however own some Jello.  
A/N: This is my favorite Office fanfic I've written so far. It's mostly serious, but I tried to throw in a few lines of humor. I hope you all like it!**

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"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam," he heard her say for about the fiftieth time today, not that he was trying to listen, still it was hard not to hear. It was Friday; he simply wanted to get through the day and go home. His phone rang "Jim, Jan Levinson is on the line for you."

"Hi Jan. How are you?"

"I'm great, and I've got great news for you. I know your transfer request has taken longer than expected, but it's official, there's a spot for you in Stamford. Is it possible for you to start a week from Monday?"

Jim had not expected to move so soon after the transfer finalized, nevertheless he was ready to go. "Absolutely. That's great."

"Stamford is looking forward to having you. Good luck."

"Thank you." Jim put the phone down and as he did, he noticed Pam staring at him. He went back to work trying not to let her notice that he had noticed. It had been two months since the wedding and he needed to get out of here. He had put in for the transfer in April; in May, he thought about staying, but after June 10, he didn't see any reason. Since Casino Night, things between Pam and him hadn't been the same. He got the feeling Pam wouldn't mind if everything went back to normal, except for him, it was impossible. Everything was different. He often avoided her and ate lunch at his desk. He hardly ever pulled pranks on Dwight; it didn't seem the same. Furthermore, his desk was now an enemy. His once prized position near the reception desk was his tormentor, his once common habit of looking over at Pam his torture.

He looked at the corner of his computer screen. _Only a few more seconds_, he thought. The clock changed to 5:00. He was already out of his chair picking up his jacket.

"Jim, can I talk to you?"

He checked his watch pretending to be in a hurry. He walked backwards with his thumb pointed at the door, "Pam, I really can't. I gotta go. Sorry." He continued to the elevator and pressed the button about twenty times. He knew it wouldn't get there any faster, but he was afraid she'd follow him out. When he was safely inside, he felt like a coward. He was in a hurry for a date with the TV in his bedroom. The TV is the only date he'd had in months. _One week and it will all be over._

Monday came far too soon, and dragged on far too long. As did every day that week.

It was Friday, Jim's last day at work and he still hadn't told a soul. Of course, Michael already knew. Corporate had informed him of the transfer two month prior and had let him know of the impending move. To Jim's surprise, Michael hadn't said a word to anyone in the office. Jim figured Michael was hoping it wouldn't happen.

The last couple of months he had tried so hard not to look at Pam, but today he couldn't help himself. She smiled at him the times she caught him and for the first time in months, he smiled back. He felt awful, like he was misleading her. She probably thought things were finally getting back to the way they'd been.

He originally decided to make the announcement at 4pm, thus there wouldn't be much time for anyone to make a big deal of it. However, he made up his mind to tell her before everyone else. She walked past his desk into the kitchenette. Now was his chance. As an excuse, he grabbed his coffee mug.

She was sitting at the table at the opposite end of the room. "Hey Halpert."

"Hey," came his half-hearted reply. He was about to pour more coffee into his cup, but he didn't really want more coffee, it's not why he'd really come in here. "Listen, Pam, I've got something to tell you." She smiled up at him and it just about killed him to tell her. "I'm transferring." He watched the smile fall from her face.

"Where?"

"Stamford."

"When?"

He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb, "Uh, today is my last day here."

"Oh." She was staring into her tea. He was leaning against the counter. The silence between them was deafening. Finally, she spoke, "I'm going to miss you."

He was trying so hard to hold back the tears. He swallowed hard, "I'm going to miss you too." He wondered why she wasn't mad at him for not telling her sooner, but he guessed she understood. "Remember the time you told me you'd blow your brains out if I left? Please don't do that." He smiled at her. She smiled, laughing softly, though he could tell she was hurting.

He headed for the door, but turned around when she spoke his name. She rushed to him and put her arms around him; he reciprocated. She hadn't been this close since their kiss. She had to be able to feel his heart pounding in his chest, both times. It felt good to have her close to him; it also felt wrong. She had decided, he had given her a choice and she had decided. She picked Roy. Now it was all he could do to get through this day and move on. She pulled away and hurried to the bathroom abandoning her tea on the table. He walked back to his desk.

Dwight blurted out, in Dwight fashion, "What's on your shirt?"

Jim looked down at the two small wet spots on his shirt blended with a hint of color from Pam's mascara. He shrugged his shoulder, "I spilled something on me. Tried to wash it out."

Jim realized it was almost 4pm. He finished what he could and made sure everything was filed properly and in its place. He looked around the office taking in the fact he would no longer be seeing these people or this place again. He really hadn't been too close with any one person, besides Pam, and in a way, he was regretting it. Although, he imagined he knew more than enough about Dwight. Still, he had worked with most of these people for years and didn't know more than their names, their birthdays, and the names of their significant others. Still, in a way he felt a sense of loss, like, dare he think, these people were a part of his family. _Michael would be so proud._

It was time. He walked into Michael's office and half closed the door. "Michael, it's after 4 and I was going to announce my transfer. You think you should be out there?"

"Definitely." Michael, though not looking overjoyed, came out clapping his hands, "Listen up everybody. Can I have your attention, Jim has an announcement."

"Thank you, Michael. Uh, yeah, I'm transferring to Stamford. Today is my last day in Scranton and I just wanted everyone to know that I have enjoyed your company. I apologize for not saying anything before, but I didn't really want a big thing."

"Too bad, because I got you a plaque," Michael held it up, "It says 'Good Luck to Our Favorite Sales Representative, Jim Halpert. Scranton Will Miss You.' And I got a cake."

"Oh, Michael you **really** shouldn't have."

"He's your favorite sales representative?" Dwight asked irritated.

"Dwight you're more an Assistant Regional Manager than a sales representative," Michael explained diplomatically.

"Right," Dwight sounded pleased.

Jim instinctively walked to reception, "Did you see my plaque?"

"Nice."

They were both smiling like old times. He was glad things were back to normal between them before he left. At the same time, he was a little depressed not to be coming back Monday. He knew Pam would have teased him all day about his plaque. For the first time, he didn't want the clock to reach 5pm.

He wanted to be the last to go, so he could say goodbye to everyone. Most people told him good luck and they'd miss him. Dwight walked by without a word. "Dwight."

"What?"

Jim stuck his hand out, "Goodbye." Dwight eyed his hand suspiciously. "Come on Dwight, this isn't a joke, I'm leaving." Dwight shook his hand and left. "Harsh," he laughed.

The last two were Michael and Phyllis. Both were crying. Michael hugged him, "I'll miss you buddy," he said sniffling.

"Thanks for being a friend, Michael." Jim knew Michael could be a jerk sometimes, but at other times, Jim thought that Michael and he had the most in common, and as always, not including Pam.

Phyllis gave him a hug too, "I'll miss you."

"I think I'll miss you the most."

Phyllis grinned shyly and looked behind him at Pam who was still at reception, "I don't think that's true."

Jim gathered his stuff, "Ready Beesly?" He still sometimes called her by her maiden name, and she had never corrected him.

"Yeah." They rode the elevator and walked to the parking lot in silence. She gave him a quick hug and quietly said, "Bye." He watched her walk away, but before she got in the truck, she hollered across the parking lot, "Scranton will miss you."

He smiled solemnly as she drove away, took one last look around, "I'll miss Scranton." Before he got in his car, he decided there were a couple more things he had to do.

Monday morning, when everyone came into work the blow up doll from the warehouse was at Jim's desk with a note attached, "To make the transition easier, I already found my replacement," and on Dwight's desk sat a plate of Jello containing his stapler.

Pam skimmed the phone messages and stopped at one in particular. "Pam, I just wanted to say good luck to you. Phyllis was right. I miss you the most. Please believe me when I say I am happy for you. For you and Roy. It's not everyday you meet that one special person you want to spend…," there was a long pause and Pam wasn't sure he was still there. "Goodbye Pam." Pam knew there was so much unspoken in his goodbye. She looked at the doll in his chair and smiled. She didn't know who would fill his desk, but nobody could really replace Jim.

_fin_


End file.
